Spatiotemporal characteristics of high-density gas jet and absolute determination of size and density of gas clusters

Properties of gas clusters such as the size and number density when expanding into the vacuum after passing through a conical nozzle are analyzed for argon at an average density of 10(20)/cm(3). Temporally and spatially resolved size and density distribution were measured from all-optical methods of Rayleigh scattering measurement and Nomarski interferometry using a CW laser. At the gas backing pressure of 80 bar, Ar clusters as large as 100 nm were obtained, which differs significantly from the size estimated by the conventional Hagena scaling law. The two independent methods of cluster characterization presented here would be useful to precisely determine the initial conditions in a variety of intense laser-cluster interaction driven applications such as neutron generation, thermonuclear fusion, efficient x-ray emission, and energetic ion acceleration.